The unsung heroes of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Bengaluru Loco pilot distributes food to the needy

RITU YADAV.
The national lockdown has affected some of the most vulnerable communities across the country. To cushion the impact of the crisis in these communities and ensure their access to essential necessities, people from all walks of life are coming forward to their aid. B Ravi, a loco pilot in Bengaluru division of southern railway is feeding around 120 people in the city every day.
“I’m cooking food and preparing 100-120 packets every day with the help of family members, friends, neighbors since April 6 and distributing the meals to the needy. I don’t feel like sitting idle during this lockdown,’’ said Ravi, a resident of Basaveshwaranagar

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Ravi’s family is helping out in all possible ways they can in their house in BEML Layout, Basaveshvaranagar. “We carried out the distribution of 120 packets of tomato rice on Ring Road on Tuesday afternoon to passersby who were in need. On Wednesday afternoon, we made 130 vegetable rice packets and distributed them at on the same road as well as at a slum in Kamakshipalaya,” Ravi said.
I read in newspapers that many stranded migrant workers and daily wage earners are starving due to the crisis amid the national lockdown. “Somashekhar, my friend who works in the private sector and I are managing the cost as of now by pooling in Rs 1,000 from our pockets each. We began doing it on April 7 and plan to until we are able to sustain it. Neighbours have now started chipping in with rice, vegetables and other essentials to help us out.  They are also now helping us in cutting vegetables and taking turns in doing the cooking. Two other friends Nagaraj and T Swami are also helping out,” he added.
Ashok Kumar Verma, Bengaluru divisional railway manager (DRM) Tweeted about Ravi’s effort, which received an overwhelming response from the netizens.